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Gargan To Saddle First Runhappy 2-Year-Old At The Spa

Highly regarded freshman stallion Runhappy will have his first progeny race at the Spa when Peachy Queen faces a field of 10 juvenile fillies in Sunday's seventh race going 5 ½ furlongs over the main track.

Runhappy, the 2015 Champion Sprinter now standing at Claiborne Farm, captured that year's Grade 1 King's Bishop at Saratoga for owner Jim McIngvale, traveling seven furlongs in a stakes record 1:20.54.

Owned by West Paces Racing, Peachy Queen is out of the Gio Ponti broodmare Year of Promise who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Smiling Tiger and She's a Tiger.

The bay filly has been training forwardly for Danny Gargan at Saratoga most recently posting a bullet half-mile work in 48.20 seconds over the main track.

“She's doing really well,” Gargan said. “I'd like to get her started and get a good race out of her. She's a really sweet filly and very laid back.”

Bred in Kentucky by Fred W. Heitrich III, Peachy Queen was purchased for $180,000 from last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Jockey Manny Franco will be aboard from post 6.

Live Oak Plantation homebred Our Flash Drive, a Florida-bred Ghostzapper filly, is training sharply for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse and could provide steep opposition.

Our Flash Drive breezed a half-mile in 47.46 seconds on July 5 on the Belmont main track in company with Cotton, a 2-year-old New York-bred colt who finished a good second in his July 12 debut at Belmont which garnered a 54 Beyer Speed Figure.

“She outworked Cotton that day pretty handily,” said assistant trainer Jamie Begg.

Our Flash Drive will exit post 10 under Joel Rosario on debut and Begg said the filly will benefit from being outside horses.

“I'm happy she drew outside. I think with this filly it may suit her fancy,” said Begg. “Joel is good at making them settle and the way the track played yesterday, she can pick up the speed.”

Out of the unraced Dynaformer mare Dynamotor, her third dam, Slew City Slicker, produced Grade 1-winner Pool Land.

Trainer Todd Pletcher will debut Maryland-bred Lucifers Lair, a bay Quality Road filly owned and bred by Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group.

Lucifer's Lair is out of the graded stakes-winning Put It Back broodmare Devil's Cave and arrives at her debut off a sharp breeze from the gate at Belmont Park going a half-mile in 48.04 seconds.

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will be aboard from post 9.

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Travers ‘The Logical Spot’ For Peter Pan Winner Country Grammer

Following a victory in Opening Day's Grade 3 Peter Pan at Saratoga Race Course, Country Grammer is a likely candidate for the Grade 1, $1 million Runhappy Travers on August 8, according to his connections.

Owned by Paul Pompa, Jr. and trained by Chad Brown, the 3-year-old son of second crop sire Tonalist notched his first graded stakes score in the 1 1/8-mile event for sophomores over the main track. Guided by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Country Grammer broke sharply from post 2, tracked in fourth off a moderate pace, found an opening along the rail around the far turn and established command at the top of the stretch holding off Caracaro to win by a neck, registering a 95 Beyer Speed Figure.

“If he comes back well, the Travers would be the logical spot. It's coming back a little soon but so far, so good,” Pompa, Jr. said. “We always have liked this horse, but the COVID-19 situation has created gaps, just due to lack of racing.”

Country Grammer arrived at the Peter Pan off a third-place finish against allowance company at Belmont Park, running 6 ½ lengths to eventual Belmont Stakes fifth-place finisher Tap It To Win. After a fourth place finish in his career debut on grass, he switched to the main track, breaking his maiden by 3 ½ lengths at Aqueduct going the Peter Pan distance.

Pompa, Jr. said the 1 1/4-mile Runhappy Travers should suit Country Grammer.

“Chad always liked him, but he never trained well at Belmont for some reason,” said Pompa, Jr. “We knew he would appreciate going two turns. Should we go to the Travers, we think the extra eighth of a mile is to his advantage.”

Country Grammer, bred in Kentucky by Scott Pierce and Debbie Pierce, is out of the Forestry broodmare Arabian Song and his third dam Willstar produced Group 1 winner on turf Etoile Montante. He was purchased for $450,000 at the OBS April Sale in 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, where he was consigned by Wavertree Stables.

Should Country Grammer move forward to the Runhappy Travers, he would be Pompa Jr.'s second contender in the “Mid Summer Derby”. In 2016, he owned sixth-place finisher Connect, who went on to defeat that year's Kentucky Derby top three finishers in the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby en route to a Grade 1 Cigar Mile triumph.

“He beat a real tough field in the Pennsylvania Derby that year,” Pompa, Jr. said. “There were a lot of serious horses in the race that year and it was the first year they made it a Grade 1. Exaggerator, Nyquist and Gun Runner were all in there, so he beat a really nice field.”

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‘Invader’ Looks Imposing in Hall of Fame

Four-for-six Decorated Invader (Declaration of War) appears awful tough to beat in Saturday’s GII National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame S. at Saratoga. Second to subsequent MGSW Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) on local debut here a year ago, he broke through convincingly next out before notching a big win in Woodbine’s GI Summer S. in September. He could only manage fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf after a tough trip that had many arguing that he might’ve been best, and he’s lent support to that claim so far this season. He flew home from far back to annex Gulfstream’s Cutler Bay S. Mar. 28, and made short work of five rivals in the GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont June 20. The biggest question for Decorated Invader appears to be how he’ll handle nine furlongs–all his prior efforts have come over at least a sixteenth shorter.

“The challenge is when you have a horse that’s a standout in a short field, there’s going to be a target on his back,” said Terry Finley of co-ownerWest Point Thoroughbreds. “The break and the first eighth of a mile will be important. Ultimately, it will be up to [jockey] Joel [Rosario]. He really fits the horse. When they walk out of the paddock, you just have so much confidence and no concerns that you’ll get a top class ride from him. It’s very good to have the option to be a closer, but we have seen time and time again where you have the best horse in the race, and they [the pacesetters] don’t come back.”

Decorated Invader isn’t the only Christophe Clement-trained son of Declaration of War entered in the Hall of Fame–he’ll also send out Gufo, who has won his last four starts, including Delaware’s GIII Kent S. over this distance two weeks ago.

Hall of Famer Bill Mott owns a record seven victories in this race–including in 2019–and will be represented by June 20 Churchill allowance winner Moon Over Miami (Malibu Moon). Future Hall of Famer won this event four years in a row from 2015 to 2018 (he also won it in 2011), and will saddle two-for-two Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) for Seth Klarman’s Klarvich Stables.

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Lightly Raced Runners Loom Large in CCA Oaks

While two-time GSW Tonalist’s Shape (Tonalist) is favored at 9-5 on the morning line for Saturday’s GI Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, she’ll have to fend off several well-bred and promising up-and-comers if she’s to get the job done.

Perhaps the most formidable challenger is WinStar Stablemates Racing’s Paris Lights (Curlin). The Bill Mott trainee was third in a sloppy-track sprint at Gulfstream on debut Apr. 26, but took a big step forward to romp on the stretch-out at Churchill May 31 and then paired up 85 Beyer Speed Figures when taking a first-level allowance June 27 in similarly facile fashion. That 85 Beyer is the field’s best last-out number and is only eclipsed by an 89 and 87 earned by Tonalist’s shape several starts back. Mott, who won this race in 1997 with Ajina, will also saddle Godolphin’s versatile GII Fair Grounds Oaks and GIII Wonder Again S. third Antoinette (Hard Spun).

Crystal Ball (Malibu Moon) also carries the WinStar Stablemates silks and was third in her debut, going a mile at Santa Anita May 17 for Bob Baffert. The $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfrstream grad aired by 6 1/4 lengths on the stretch-out June 14. Baffert took the 2017 CCA Oaks by a head over Mott-trained Elate (Medaglia d’Oro).

The Chad Brown stable took the GIII Peter Pan S. for sophomore boys with Country Grammer (Tonalist) on opening day, and could double up with Altaf (Medaglia d’Oro) here. The Shadwell homebred was just seventh in her grassy unveiling in Florida Apr. 2, but uncorked a visually impressive sweeping rally to don cap and gown by 6 1/2 lengths under the Twin Spires May 23.

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